THE OPENING TIP• Texas Tech dropped a heartbreaker to Texas A&M on Tuesday, 47-38. A game the Red Raiders led at the half, 26-17.• Kansas enters Saturday’s game after winning the Sunflower Showdown over Kansas State, 59-53.• Today’s game is on the Big 12 Network and ESPN3.com. It can be seen locally on KMYL-TV14 in Lubbock. Mitch Holthus (Play-by-Play) and Jon Sundvold (Analyst) are on the call.• Tech head coach Billy Gillispie served on the staff of Kansas coach Bill Self at Tulsa and Illinois from 1997-02. Gillispie went 1-2 against Self as Texas A&M’s head coach from 2004-07.

TEXAS TECH-KANSAS SERIES• This is the 26th meeting between the Jayhawks and the Red Raiders. The two first met in Lawrence, Kan. on Dec. 7, 1959. Kansas leads the all-time series, 21-4. The Jayhawks have been ranked in the Associated Press poll in 21 of those 25 meetings between Tech and KU.• This is the 12th meeting in Lawrence, where Kansas holds the series lead, 11-0.• Since the Big 12 was formed, Kansas holds a 12-4 edge in Big 12 Conference games.

ABOUT KANSAS• Kansas is 20-5 and 11-2 in the Big 12 and ranked in the Top 10 for the 17th time when playing Texas Tech.• Thomas Robinson paces the Jayhawks with 17.8 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Tyshawn Taylor adds 16.9 points and 5.1 assists, while Jeff Withey chips in 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds.• Bill Self is 7-3 against the Red Raiders as Kansas’ head coach.

FROM THE STARTLast time out against Texas A&M, the starting lineup was Ty Nurse, Javarez Willis, Luke Adams, Robert Lewandowski and Jordan Tolbert. This is the third time this season this lineup has been used and one of 12 different starting lineups used this season. The Red Raiders have not used the same starting lineup three games in a row this season.

A YOUTH MOVEMENTTexas Tech features the youngest roster in the Big 12 Conference this season and one of the youngest squads in the nation with seven freshmen and three sophomores. Entering the season, only three players on the roster had played in a Division I basketball game – senior Robert Lewandowski, sophomore Jaye Crockett and sophomore Javarez Willis. Of the 12 players who have played this season, there are only two are upperclassmen – Lewandowski and junior Ty Nurse. The seven freshmen have produced 44.3 percent of the Red Raider offense this season, while playing 43.4 percent of the team’s minutes.

TWO NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12Texas Tech senior Robert Lewandowski and redshirt sophomore Jaye Crockett have been named to the Academic All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball Team, the league office announced Thursday. Lewandowski, a 6-10 senior from Overland Park, Kan., was named to the first team. It is his second straight appearance on the Academic All-Big 12 first team. He was a second team selection as a sophomore. He is one of 11 players from the Big 12 selected to the first team. Lewandowski is has started 25 games this season, chipping in 7.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. For his career, Lewandowski has played in 120 games, starting 73 for the Red Raiders. He is fifth all-time in career field goal percentage (52.4 percent) and eighth in career blocks (98). Jaye Crockett, a 6-7 redshirt sophomore from Clovis, N.M., was named to the second team. He was one of nine players from the Big 12 selected to the second team. Crockett has played in 24 games, starting three. He is averaging 8.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and has recorded three double-doubles this season. He is second on the team in rebounds (139), blocks (20) and steals (15). First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA while the second team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA. To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team’s scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERSTurnovers have been a struggle for the Red Raiders this season, as Texas Tech has committed 16.8 per game. One by-product of turnovers are opponents’ points off of turnovers. In Big 12 games this season, the Red Raiders are allowing 18.5 points per game off of turnovers. Texas Tech opponents are averaging 66.2 points per game in league play, meaning 27.9 percent of their offensive output is the result of turnovers. Against Oklahoma, the Red Raiders bucked the trend, committing a season-low seven turnovers and allowing just four points off of turnovers. Texas Tech has also recorded 14 or less turnovers in three of their last four games.

WAGNER DONE FOR SEASONLubbock native Kevin Wagner suffered a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 4 in Austin against Texas. Had a breakout performance on Jan. 25 against Kansas State. The 5-8 freshman, played in 18 games this season, starting six for the Red Raiders. He averaged 2.5 points, 1.4 assists and just under a rebound per game for the season. He had a breakout performance against Kansas State in Lubbock, when he netted 16 points, dished out four assists and had a pair of steals and rebounds in 37 minutes.

PLAYING 8 AGAINST TEXAS A&MFor the first time this season, the Red Raiders saw eight players enter the lineup against Texas A&M. On five occasions, nine players have seen action in a game, 12 times saw 10 players enter the game, six times 12 players have played and one this season seven entered the rotation.

CROCKETT STEPS UP IN LEAGUE PLAYTexas Tech’s Jaye Crockett has elevated his play since Big 12 Conference play began on Jan. 4. In the 13 league games this season, Crockett has scored in double figures seven times and notched nine points in three other outings. He notched his second career double-double at Oklahoma and had a career-best 19-point effort at Texas A&M. His 19 points eclipses his previous best effort of 14 points against North Texas on Nov. 16, 2010. He added double-doubles against Missouri (11 points and 11 rebounds) and Oklahoma State (16 points and 14 rebounds). Crockett now has 14 career double-digit scoring efforts, with 10 coming this season. He is averaging 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season and 10.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in Big 12 games. His 14 rebounds against Oklahoma State were a career best and the most by a Red Raider since Brad Reese had 16 against Texas-Arlington on Dec. 22, 2010.

TOLBERT LEADS BIG 12 FRESHMENJordan Tolbert leads all Big 12 freshmen this season in rebounds (5.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (53.4 pct.). He is third among league freshmen in scoring at 11.8 points per game. Overall, Tolbert ranks 10th in rebounding. He has scored in double figures 12 times this season, including a season-high 27 twice — once at TCU on Dec. 6 and once against CSU-Bakersfield on Dec. 27. It was the most by a Tech freshman since John Roberson went for 28 against Northwestern State on Dec. 29, 2007. It is the second highest scoring mark by a Red Raider freshman in the Big 12 Era. He also netted 20 points against Indiana State at the Old Spice Classic, 22 against Grambling State and 21 against Oral Roberts. Tolbert has pulled down five rebounds in 14 of 19 games this season and had a his first double-double at Oklahoma State with 13 points and 13 rebounds. He added 10 rebounds at Oklahoma. He has recorded five 20-point games as a freshman, which has only been recorded one other time in the last 20 years at Texas Tech by a freshman. He also did it four times in a row, which was last done by Jarrius Jackson in November, 2006. He was named the Big 12 Conference player of the Week for the Week of Dec. 26-Jan. 1, after averaging 19.0 points and 4.0 rebounds, while shooting 78.9 percent from the field.

LEWANDOWSKI’S CAREER NUMBERSSenior Robert Lewandowski has been a steady stalwart for the Red Raiders for the last four years. Against Oklahoma on Jan. 17, he recorded his 400th rebound. He has 730 career points, 432 career rebounds and 98 career blocks. His blocks rank eighth all-time at Texas Tech. He needs two more blocks to move into sixth on the career list. He has connected on 311 of 596 career shots for a 52.2 percent field goal percentage, which ranks fifth all-time at Texas Tech. This season, Lewandowski is averaging 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds a game. He has scored eight or more points in 11 of the team’s 25 games this season. Lewandowski also recorded his first career 3-pointer in just his third career attempt against Southeastern Louisiana. It was 61 games between his first 3-point attempt against UTEP on Jan. 3, 2010 and his first career make against Southeastern Louisiana. The 6-10 Lewandowski has played in 120 career games with 73 career starts. He ranks 11th in career games played at Texas Tech.

REBOUNDING ON THE ROADTexas Tech has out-rebounded four of six Big 12 opponents on the road this season – Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Missouri, but came up short against Texas and Kansas State. In Stillwater, the Red Raiders out-boarded the Cowboys, 38-27 (+11). In College Station, Texas Tech pulled down 36 rebounds to Texas A&M’s 28 (+8). In Norman, Tech edged OU, 37-34 (+3). In Columbia, The Red Raiders topped the Tigers, 31-27 (+4). At Texas, the Red Raiders were out-rebounded 41-25 (-16) and came up short against Kansas State, 40-34 (-6).

WILLIS NOTCHES CAREER HIGHJavarez “Bean” Willis is one of three returning players from last year’s squad who has started 24 of 25 games this season. Despite playing on a sprained ankle, Willis recorded a career high with 21 points and five rebounds against Oklahoma on Feb. 11. Earlier in the season, he had a streak of 27 consecutive free throws. For the season, he has converted 38 of 47 from the charity strip this season. His 80.9 percent from the line is third on the squad to teammates Ty Nurse and Robert Lewandowski. Willis is third in scoring (8.0), leads in assists (44) and is second in 3-pointers made (30). He also is second on the team in minutes played. He has recorded nine or more points 13 times this season. He had 16 points against Cal State-Bakersfield thanks in large part to a season-high four 3-pointers. He tied that mark at Oklahoma after connecting on another four treys. Willis followed up that outing with a team-best 15 points against Southeastern Louisiana and another 11 against Oklahoma State. He has also dished out at least two assists in 11 of 25 games this season.

LEWANDOWSKI’S SECOND HALF SURGEAgainst Oklahoma on Feb. 11, Robert Lewandowski was struggling from the field. He started the game a mere 1-for-11. But then the 6-10 senior from Overland Park, Kan., went 7-for-8 from the field the rest of the way to lead Texas Tech to its first conference win of the season. Lewandowski scored 12 points during Texas Tech’s 17-5 run in the second half to secure the win. He finished the day connecting on 8-of-19 shots from the field. The 19 attempts were a career high for Lewandowski. He had just two points at halftime.

NURSE IS ONE OF NATION’S BEST FROM LINETy Nurse has the ability to be an offensive threat each time he steps on the floor. He has led the team is scoring five times this season and scored in double figures on nine occasions. Nurse had a remarkable debut, chipping in 29 points. He has scored in 19 of 23 games this season. Nurse is second on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game, while chipping in 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He is an 91.7 percent foul shooter, connecting on 55 of 60 from the charity strip this season. He has had streaks of 13 straight and 27 straight free throws made this season. He currently has the second highest free throw percentage in the nation, but it just misses out on qualifying as the nation’s top charity stripe shooter. A player must make 2.5 free throws per game to qualify and Nurse currently is averaging 2.4 made free throws per game. Over the last two games, Nurse has dished out 10 assists and committed just four turnovers.

LAMMERT ADDS DEPTHFreshman walk-on Clark Lammert has become a key contributor of late. After making his collegiate debut against Grambling State, Lammert has stepped up in league play. In 10 Big 12 games, he is averaging 4.4 points and 1.7 rebounds. He notched 10 points at Texas A&M, chipped in nine points against Iowa State and added a career-high 12 points at Texas. He is shooting 59.1 percent from the field and 82.4 percent from the line in limited action.

LUKE STEPS UP IN A BIG WAYWalk-on Luke Adams stepped onto the court against Grambling State not only playing in his second career game, but making his first career start. The freshman from Big Spring, Texas, who is deaf, connected on his first four shots of the game (all 3s) to spark a 27-2 Texas Tech run against the Tigers. He earned his second career start at Oral Roberts, chipping in with four points and four assists. Then at Kansas State, Adams came off the bench to net 15 points to lead to Red Raiders. He earned his third career start against Oklahoma and played 35 minutes, recording six points, three rebounds and two assists. He notched his fourth start against Texas A&M, playing 40 minutes with three points and four assists. In 17 games, the 5-9 walk-on has averaged 4.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 17.1 minutes of play per game.

FROM THE FIELDAfter ranking as high as eighth in the nation in field goal percentage, the Red Raiders had been mired in a shooting slump until the game at Missouri. Texas Tech notched three straight games over 40 percent before recording its worst shooting effort of the season at Kansas State (28.9%). Prior to that, the Red Raiders had converted on better than 40 percent of their shots in three consecutive Big 12 games – 45.5% (at Missouri), 50.0% (OSU) and 40.7% (at Texas). The Missouri game was Tech’s first game above 40 percent since Dec. 30. Texas Tech returned to better than 40 percent against Oklahoma, shooting 43.1 percent from the field. Before that, the Red Raiders had failed to shoot 40 percent in each of the previous seven games – 39.6% (at OSU), 39.6% (Baylor), 31.4% (Kansas), 33.3% (at Texas A&M), 32.6% (at Oklahoma), 35.1% (Iowa State) and 37.5% (Kansas State). The Red Raiders are 148th in the nation in field goal percentage (43.9 percent), but did you know that Texas Tech ranks 342nd in shot attempts (47.6 attempts per game)? The Red Raiders are making on average 20.9 field goals per game, which ranks 329th out of the 344 schools in the NCAA Division I. The Red Raiders rank sixth in the Big 12 Conference in field goal percentage, 10th in shot attempts and shots made.

UP AND DOWN FROM THREETexas Tech has been up and down all season when it comes to 3-point shooting. Only four times this season have the Red Raiders put together back-to-back games of 35 percent or better from 3-point range. Here is a look at how the Red Raiders have fared this season — 43% (Troy), 18.2% (North Texas), 54.5% (Stephen F. Austin), 22.2% (Indiana State), 50% (DePaul), 30% (Wake Forest), 44.4% (Texas A&M-CC), 25% (TCU), 42.1% (Grambling State), 14.3% (Oral Roberts), 50% (Bakersfield), 40% (SE Louisiana), 31.3% (OSU), 37.5% (Baylor), 9.1% (Kansas), 36.4% (Texas A&M), 50% (Oklahoma), 27.8% (Iowa State), 23.1% (Kansas State), 44.4% (Missouri), 36.4% (OSU), 36.4% (Texas), 28.9% (Kansas State) and 28.6 (Texas A&M). For the season, the Red Raiders are 114 of 321 from beyond the arc (35.5 percent). Ty Nurse leads the way, hitting on 34 of 96 attempts (35.4 percent) from 3-point range.

SHOOTING FOR AVERAGETexas Tech is sixth in the Big 12 Conference in field goal percentage through 25 games, as the Red Raiders have hit on 44.1 percent of its shots from the field. The Red Raiders are 148th nationally in field goal percentage this season. Tech has hit 60 percent or better in a game three times this season — Troy (61.1 percent), Stephen F. Austin (62.9 percent) and CSU-Bakersfield (60.0 percent). When Texas Tech shot 61.1 percent from the field (33 of 54) against Troy in the opener, it eclipsed the highest percentage of any game last season. The highest percentage last season was 58.8 percent (30-of-51) against Delaware State on Jan. 4. Two games later against Stephen F. Austin, the Red Raiders connected on their first six shots of the game to take a 15-5 lead. Texas Tech connected on 14 of 17 shots from the field in the first half (82.4 percent) and hit four of five 3-pointers (80 percent). The Red Raiders finished the game hitting 62.9 percent from the field. It is the best shooting performance by Tech in the last three years, eclipsing the 62.1 percent the Red Raiders shot against Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 22, 2008. The Red Raiders added their third 60 percent shooting performance against Cal State-Bakersfield, as Texas Tech connected on 24 of 40 shots, including 7-of-14 from 3-point range. In all, the Red Raiders have shot better than 50 percent in six of 25 games this season. Only three teams in the nation shoot 50 percent or better from the field.

FROM THE FIELDTexas Tech has out-shot its opponent from the field in 16 of 25 games this season. In the last outing, Texas Tech bested Texas A&M 38.6 percent to 34.0 percent. The Red Raiders have been out-shot by DePaul (42.3/46.6), Baylor (39.6/48.9), Kansas (31.4/50.9), Texas A&M (33.3/47.8), Oklahoma (32.6/38.9), Iowa State (35.1/48.4), Kansas State (37.5/48.1), Texas (43.4/40.7) and Kansas State (28.9/30.0).

FROM THE LINETexas Tech shot 92 percent from the free throw line (23 of 25) against North Texas. It is the highest output since connecting on 23 of 24 last season against TCU (95.8 percent). The Red Raiders connected on nine consecutive free throws over the final 3:04 to secure the victory. Against Texas A&M, the Red Raiders failed to convert a free throw on two attempts. It is the first time in the Big 12 Era, that Texas Tech has not made a free throw in a game. It is also the third time this season that the Red Raiders have not attempted at least 10 free throws in a game. Tech was 7-of-8 from the line against Iowa State and 2-of-6 at Missouri. For the season, Texas Tech 348-of-496 from the line (70.2 percent).

MEMORABLE DEBUTTy Nurse’s 29 points against Troy is the most by a Red Raider since Mike Singletary had 33 against Iowa State on Jan. 26 last season. It is also the most points in a season opener by a Texas Tech player since Curtis Marshall had 30 against UNC-Ashville in 2004 and Andy Ellis had 30 against Indiana in 1999. It is also the most points in a newcomer debut in the Red Raider Big 12 Era.

3-POINT STREAK EXTENDS to 40 STRAIGHTTexas Tech extended its streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 40 straight games against Texas A&M after connecting on 4 of 14 against the Aggies. The last time The Red Raiders did not connect from the 3-point line was against Texas (0-11) a year earlier on Jan. 11, 2011.

TURNING UP THE DEFENSETexas Tech has held its last two opponents under 50 points – Oklahoma (47) and Texas A&M (47). It is the first time since 2007, when Tech held Stephen F. Austin (44) and Alaska-Anchorage (47) under 50 points. It is the first time since 1987 that the Red Raiders have held two conference opponents under 50 points. That year, Texas Tech held Texas to 46 points and TCU to 48 points.

LAST TIME AGAINST KANSASTexas Tech’s loss to No. 10/10 Kansas on Jan. 11 ranks as the largest home loss, in terms of deficit, in program history. The Red Raiders lost by 35 points to Kansas (81-46), eclipsing the previously largest home loss set on Feb. 28, 1998, when Texas Tech fell to Oklahoma (89-56) by 33 points at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. It also eclipses the largest loss at the United Spirit Arena, which happened last year against Texas when the Red Raiders fell to the Longhorns (83-52) by 31 points. The largest loss in any game came at Kansas on March 3, 2008, when the Jayhawks toppled the Red Raiders, 109-51.

SECOND HALF STRUGGLEAfter jumping out to a 26-17 halftime lead to Texas A&M on Tuesday, Texas Tech scored just 12 points in the second half. It marked the first time in the shot clock era that a Red Raider team had not reached 40 points in a game. The last time Texas Tech did not score 40 points in a 60-35 loss at Arkansas on Jan. 28, 1981. The last time Texas Tech did not score 40 points at home was 41-38 loss to Arkansas on Jan. 4, 1977.

A TRIPLE NOTEThere have been nine triple-doubles performed this year in the NCAA by Keegan Bell (Chattanooga), Jesse Sanders (Liberty), T.J. McConnell (Duquesne), Jake Odum (Indiana State), D.J. Cooper (Ohio), Kenny Gabriel (Auburn), Shabazz Napier (Connecticut), Royce White (Iowa State) and Peter ‘PJ’ Roberson (Grambling State). Did you know that Texas Tech is the only school to face three of these athletes – Odum, White and Roberson. Odum had 13 points, one rebound and four assists against the Red Raiders. White recorded seven points, nine rebounds and six assists against Texas Tech. Roberson had 14 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks against the Red Raiders. Texas Tech faced Liberty’s Jesse Sanders last season.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMASTexas Tech head coach Billy Gillispie and the Red Raider basketball team spent the holiday season giving back to the local community. For 12 straight days, the Red Raiders visited area hospitals, worked with local charities and provided a helping hand during the holiday season as a part of Billy Gillispie’s Red Raider 12 Days of Christmas. The Billy Gillispie’s Red Raider 12 Days of Christmas began Dec. 10 and ran through Dec. 21. The team kicked off the season of sharing on Saturday by visiting the Lubbock Heart Hospital and concluded the 12 days by visiting the Texas Tech Police Department.